"I have presented my view that the government should apologise to Tun Salleh (Abbas) and the judges. Well, I am afraid the view has yet to be considered. There are many people who are more experience and wiser than me. So, we have to wait. I don't think I want to add anything more to this," he said after chairing his ministry's first post-cabinet meeting today. Zaid did not go into details.

Asked whether it was former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or the present government under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who should apologise to the judges, Zaid replied: "You can't expect (Dr) Mahathir to apologise. That government is gone. Karpal (Singh) is just being naughty."

Karpal, who is also DAP chairman, said it was not the present administration that convened the tribunals but Dr Mahathir who must apologise.

Zaid said the apology was something "we can do if we want to, but it is up to the leaders (to decide)."

He cited the case of the Australian Government under prime minister Kevin Rudd who had apologised to the Aborigines for racially discriminatory policies when Rudd won the election recently.